Your spine is made of many parts that act together to stabilize your body, but when you are diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, your spine’s functionality can be compromised. Degenerative disc disease is a term used to describe the deterioration of the spinal discs, which cushion the vertebrae as they move. The breakdown of these discs can be correlated to many factors, the most obvious of which is age. While aging is unpreventable, several other factors can be controlled through lifestyle choices, such as improving eating habits and becoming more active. These are two steps that can help contribute to a healthy body weight, which is crucial to long-term disc health.

Why does extra weight make a difference in your spinal health?

Your body mass is constantly straining your back and any added weight can mean greater force pulling on the elements of your spine. The complications of having extra weight around the midsection of the body often include disc problems like degenerative disc disease because the extra strain can accelerate the natural breakdown of the spine.

What can you do about it?

Whether you’ve already been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease or you want to address the preventable causes of the condition, achieving and/or maintaining a healthy weight is an excellent goal. Talk to your doctor about finding an exercise routine that’s right for your needs and discuss how you can eat more healthful foods. In many cases, making a few lifestyle changes can be enough to help take off some weight and relieve the spine of some stress.

While many patients dealing with degenerative disc disease are able to find relief by following a course of conservative treatments and emphasizing lifestyle changes, this approach isn’t always successful. If you are considering surgery for degenerative disc disease after exhausting conservative treatments, reach out to the dedicated team at USA Spine Care. Our minimally invasive spine surgery is a safer and effective alternative to traditional open neck or back procedures, offering our patients a shorter recovery time and less risk of complication compared to traditional open neck or back procedures.^

We’re happy to help you receive a free MRI review* to determine if you are a potential candidate for one of our procedures.

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